Yeah I recently removed a mini-y from my M4. It was a PITA, but it finally came off. I agree about not spending the 180-whatever for a new barrel. Man that sucks that Bushmaster simply says "oh just buy a new barrel". ArmaLite was actually giving out coupons at some point before the ban was up for installation of flash hiders in place of the for-the-time-being brakes. You would think Bushmaster would be a little more informative and a little less profiteering. Oh well, I guess they gotta run a business and all, but still, a ~$40 fix is better than a $180+ one.
If you consider removing the brake, refer to this thread:
www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=199788Then all you would need to do is figure out which FH you want.
If it absolutely must be an A2, then all this is pretty much out of the question, unless you register your gun as an SBR. If you decide to opt for something from KKF or a Phantom or a Vortex, then this is for you.
I am always hearing that Kurt's turnaround rate sux0rs. That's why I opted for the Phantom. Any comments on that?